How do I Format my posts and messages?

When posting messages you may wish to include some Formatting such as bold text, italic text and underlined text.

Adding Formatting to your post can be done in two ways:

• Using clickable controls similar to those found in most word processors
• Typing Formatting commands in BB Code

Clickable Kontroller are available in the Standard and Enhanced WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors. The difference between these is that the standard editor will show the BB Code in your message and be processed when it is displayed. The enhanced WYSIWYG editor will show your message as it will be displayed while you are typing.

To use these, simply click the button, for example the B (bold) button and then type to get bold text. Click the button again to stop using that Formatting. You can also highlight text that you have already typed then click the Formatting button to Format existing text.

BB Code is a special set of Codes similar to HTML that can be used in posts to the board. To see the full list of BB Code tags that can be used on this site and examples of their use, click here.

On some boards you might be able to post and reply as a guest user. But most communities require registration.

As a registered user you can go to a Forum on a board where you have permission to view threads and leave replies. To reply you have a few options. You can click on the 'Post Reply' button and add a new post to the end of the thread. Alternatively, you can leave a quick reply in a quick editor box Listed below the posts in the thread.

When using 'Quick Reply' you can choose to quote a particular post if you are replying to something someone wrote. You may need to click the quick reply button in a post to activate the quick reply box before you can type into it.

If you want to post replies to multiple posts you can select them by clicking the multi quote button . This button will change to indicate that you've selected it. Clicking post reply will then bring you to the full editor with all the posts quoted.

Can I edit or delete my posts?

If you have registered and are logged in, you may be able to edit and delete your posts (although the administrator may have turned off this option). Your ability to edit your posts may be time-limited, depending on how the administrator has set up the Forum.

To edit or delete your posts, click the Edit button by the particular post. If your post was the first in the thread, then deleting it may remove the entire thread.

Once you've made your modifications, a note may appear to inform other users that you have edited your post.

If the edit time and date appear as a link you can click on this to see the differences between the original and edited versions, or between edits if there have been multiple edits.

Can others edit my posts?

Administrators and moderators may also edit your messages. If they do, there may not be a note telling other users that the post was modified.

You may notice that some threads on this Forum also include a section where you can vote on an issue or question. These threads are called 'polls'.

How do I create a new poll?

When you post a new thread, you may also have the option to create a poll.

This allows you to ask a question and specify a number of possible responses. Other members will then be able to vote for the response they wish, and the results of the voting will be displayed in the thread.

An example poll might be:

What is your favorite color?

• Red
• Blue
• Yellow
• Green
• Sky-blue
• Pink with yellow spots

To create a poll when you post a new thread, simply click the 'Yes, post a poll with this thread' checkbox at the bottom of the page, and set the number of possible responses you want to include.

When you click the submit button, you will be taken to the poll creation page, where you can specify the question and the list of responses you want to include.

You may also want to specify a time limit for the poll, so that (for example) it stays open for voting for only a week.

How do I vote in a poll and view the results?

To vote in a poll, simply select which option you want to vote for, and click the 'Vote!' button. Sometime you can choose more than one option. You can see the current results for a poll before you vote by clicking the 'View Results' link. Voting in a poll is entirely optional. You may vote for any of the available options, or cast no vote at all.

Note whether or not a poll is a public poll. If it is, any votes you cast will be attributable to you.

Generally, once you have voted in a poll, you will not be able to change your vote later, so place your vote carefully!

Wie kann ich eine Datei an einen Beitrag anhängen?

Um eine Datei an einen Beitrag anhängen zu können, müssen Sie Ihren Beitrag oder Ihr neues Thema über die Schaltfläche 'Antworten'- oder 'Neues Thema' erstellen. Wenn Sie 'Direkt antworten' nutzen, um eine Antwort in einem Thema zu schreiben, können Sie keine Dateien anhängen.

Unter dem Eingabefeld für Ihren Beitrag finden Sie in den 'Zusätzlichen Einstellungen' die Schaltfläche 'Anhänge verwalten'. Wenn Sie darauf klicken, öffnet sich ein Fenster, in dem Sie Ihre Anhänge hochladen können. Sie können Dateien hochladen, die sich auf Ihrem Computer befinden oder über eine URL erreichbar sind. Das Fenster zum Hochladen von Dateien öffnet sich auch, wenn Sie die Schaltfläche für Anhänge () im Editor anklicken.

Klicken Sie auf die Schaltfläche 'Durchsuchen...', wenn Sie eine Datei von Ihrem Computer hochladen möchten. Um eine Datei aus dem Internet hochzuladen, geben Sie die URL zu dieser Datei in das untere Eingabefeld ein. Klicken Sie im Anschluss auf 'Hochladen', um die Datei zu übertragen.

Wenn die Datei vollständig hochgeladen wurde, erscheint der Dateiname mit der Angabe der Dateigröße im Kasten 'Aktuelle Anhänge'. Sie können das Fenster schließen, wenn Sie alle Dateien hochgeladen haben.

Welche Dateitypen kann ich anhängen? Wie groß dürfen Anhänge sein?

Im Fenster, über das Sie Anhänge hochladen, sehen Sie in der Legende, welche Dateitypen Sie hochladen können und welche Dateigrößen erlaubt sind. Wenn Sie versuchen, eine Datei hochzuladen, die größer ist als erlaubt, wird der Vorgang mit einer Fehlermeldung abgebrochen. Sollte Ihnen nur ein bestimmtes Gesamtvolumen für Anhänge zur Verfügung stehen, kann das Hochladen auch dann abbrechen, wenn Sie dieses Volumen überschreiten.

Wie füge ich eine Grafik in einen Beitrag ein?

Wenn Sie eine Grafik als Anhang hochgeladen haben, können Sie auf den Pfeil neben der Schaltfläche für Anhänge () klicken, die Grafik auswählen und sie so in den Beitrag einfügen.

Wenn Sie eine Grafik in Ihren Beitrag einfügen möchten, die Sie vorher nicht hochgeladen haben, benötigen Sie zuerst die direkte URL zu der Grafik. Klicken Sie dann im Editor auf die Schaltfläche zum Einfügen von Grafiken () und kopieren Sie die URL in das Pop-up-Fenster. Sie können die Grafik auch manuell im Editor einfügen, wenn Sie ohne Leerzeichen vor der URL [img] und nach der URL [/img] eingeben. Bilder aus Ihren Alben (?) können Sie auf dieselbe Art einfügen.

What are smilies?

Smilies are icons that can be used in your posts to express emotions or feelings. You might wish to use these to show that you are happy, sad, joking, or embarrassed. For example, if you are telling a joke or being sarcastic you may wish to add a wink instead of writing 'this is a joke'.

The basic smilies are the same as what you would find on any instant messenger system. They are made up of a combination of characters which often show the basis of the resulting image. For example, :) is converted to a smiley face and :( to a sad face or frown. Tilt your head to the left to see this in action as these consist of two eyes and a mouth either smiling or frowning.

How do I add smilies?

Some smilies can be accessed from the 'New Post' or 'New Thread' pages if your administrator has enabled this function. Clicking them will automatically insert them into your message. You can also type the character combinations for the smilies directly. A full list of the smilies and their character combinations used on this Forum can be found here.

On occasions, you may want to prevent the text in your message being converted into smilies. You will see a checkbox which you can select when you make a new post, which will allow you to 'Disable Smilies'.

What are message icons?

Message Icons, also known as Post Icons, are small icons that appear in the title of your post. If your post is the first in a thread, then they also display in the thread listings. If the board administrator has enabled these, they can be found below the message box on the 'New Post' and 'New Thread' pages. Simply select the icon that you wish to use and this will be displayed before your thread title.

What are thread prefixes?

Thread Prefixes can be used to further identify your thread as containing a particular content in the Forum. If your administrator has enabled these, you will see a box before the title box which contains a menu with the available prefixes for you to choose from.

What are moderators and administrators?

Moderators oversee specific Forums. They generally have the ability to edit and delete posts, move threads, and perform other actions. Becoming a moderator for a specific Forum is usually rewarded to users who are particularly helpful and knowledgeable in the subject of the Forum they are moderating.

Administrators are the people who have overall control of everything that happens on the board. They oversee how the board is styled, what Forums to create and how to organize them, what information to require from members and who to appoint as moderators.